Partnerships Driving Progress at Fox’s Pond

Welcome to the latest edition of our Partner Spotlight series, where we highlight the organizations and communities working to improve water quality, strengthen environmental resilience, and invest in the long-term health of their natural resources.

This edition features Rockaway Borough and Rockaway Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, and their proactive, science-based approach to protecting Fox’s Pond (also known as Park Lake) and its surrounding watershed. Because Fox’s Pond spans both Rockaway Borough and Rockaway Township, protecting its water quality requires coordinated planning, ongoing partnership, and a shared vision for long-term watershed management.

Looking Beyond the Shoreline

Many lake management efforts focus exclusively on conditions within the waterbody itself. Rockaway recognized that lasting improvements require understanding what happens throughout the watershed.

In 2022, Princeton Hydro completed a watershed assessment and developed a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for Rockaway Township that evaluated eleven lakes and ponds throughout the municipality, including Fox’s Pond, which was funded by the New Jersey Highlands Council. The WMP identifies watershed factors contributing to nutrient loading and eutrophication and prioritizes practical management strategies for implementation based on urgency, feasibility, and potential to deliver the greatest water quality and ecological benefits. Rather than treating water quality challenges as isolated issues, the WMP established a framework for watershed-wide improvement opportunities.

Turning Planning into Funding

Using recommendations developed through the Watershed Management Plan, Rockaway Township, with guidance from Princeton Hydro, successfully pursued NJDEP Section 319(h) Water Quality Restoration funding. In 2025, the Township received nearly $400,000 to implement priority recommendations identified through the watershed planning process.

The project includes water quality improvements focused on reducing nutrient inputs into Fox’s Pond and Fox Brook, enhancing stormwater treatment, and improving local capacity to manage runoff before it reaches surrounding waterways. A key component of the project is the installation of nature-based green infrastructure practices designed to capture, filter, and naturally treat stormwater at its source.

A focal point of the effort is the conversion of an existing rock-lined drainage swale into a vegetated stormwater treatment system with bioretention features and native plants designed to:

• Reduce nutrient loading
• Improve stormwater management
• Increase infiltration and groundwater recharge
• Improve downstream water quality
• Enhance habitat and ecological function

This project represents a tangible example of how watershed planning can translate into on-the-ground environmental improvements that provide both immediate and long-term benefits on a watershed scale.

A Partnership Built on Progress

“One of the most rewarding aspects of our work in the Rockaway community has been the opportunity to partner with local stakeholders who are committed to turning science into action,” said Princeton Hydro Senior Manager of Aquatics Chris Mikolajczyk, CLM. “What began as a watershed-wide assessment has evolved into tangible restoration projects, successful grant funding, and ongoing lake management efforts. Rather than viewing the assessment as a standalone study, it’s been embraced as a roadmap for future investment and decision-making.”

Through a recently launched monitoring program, Princeton Hydro will track key indicators of lake health, including nutrient concentrations, water clarity, aquatic vegetation, algae communities, and overall water quality. The data collected will help evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing watershed improvements while identifying opportunities for continued enhancement.

Princeton Hydro is proud to continue partnering with Rockaway Borough and Rockaway Township. In addition to supporting watershed planning and implementation efforts, Princeton Hydro conducts annual monitoring of Fox’s Pond on behalf of Rockaway Borough. Through continued monitoring, watershed improvements, and data-driven management, Fox’s Pond and Fox Brook will remain vibrant ecological assets for generations to come.

Looking for a way to get involved in Rockaway Borough? The Recreation Department is always seeking volunteers to support local events, sports programs, projects, and committees. Whether you can help occasionally or on a regular basis, your contribution helps. To learn more about volunteer opportunities, click here or email recdirector@rockawayborough.org.

For more information about Princeton Hydro’s lake and watershed management work, click here.

• Lake and Pond Management